


soft, sweet

by fruitglass



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 02:34:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12949425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fruitglass/pseuds/fruitglass
Summary: Donghyuck was beautiful – this was a fact.





	soft, sweet

Donghyuck was beautiful – this was a fact. 

He was soft and bright and wonderful, like the sun rising after a long, cold night, and Mark often found himself distracted by the smallest things – the way the light hit Donghyuck’s face, highlighting the gentle slope of his nose, his high cheekbones, the soft swell of his mouth. It felt as though there was always more to see, no matter how often Mark saw him.

Now, Donghyuck was talking about something that Mark had long since stopped paying attention to. He was too busy watching the shapes Donghyuck’s mouth made as he talked, the way his eyes were shining, how he moved his hands in the air like he was conducting his own words. His voice was soft, lilting like a boat out at sea, lulling Mark into a dreamy haze.

“You’re not listening to me, are you?” Donghyuck said suddenly, knocking Mark out of his daze. Mark smiled, small and embarrassed.

“You got me,” He said. “I was distracted.”

“By what? My radiant beauty?”

Mark laughed, a little sheepish. “Sure,” He said, and shrugged. Donghyuck rolled his eyes, and leaned forward, his elbows on the kitchen counter that Mark was sitting on. 

“You should pay attention to me,” Donghyuck said, looking up at Mark through his eyelashes, thick and dark. “I’m gifting you with my time and my presence, so really it’s the least you could do.”

“I am paying attention to you,” Mark said, and barely stopped himself from reaching out to brush Donghyuck’s hair behind his ear. He tapped his fingers on his thigh, a light staccato against the denim of his jeans. Donghyuck reached out, utterly nonchalant, and took Mark’s fingers in his own.

“Sure you are,” Donghyuck said, looking down at their hands as he ran his thumb over Mark’s knuckles. “What was I talking about then?”

“I said I was paying attention, not that I was listening.”

Donghyuck laughed. “You’re weird, hyung,” He said, smiling up at Mark, his eyes curled into two bright crescents. “You don’t make much sense.”

“What? Why?”

“You basically just told me you were watching me instead of listening to me. I’m not sure how you were raised, but that isn’t how conversations usually work.”

Mark felt his cheeks heat up, knew that he’d probably gone an unflattering ruddy red over his cheeks and up to the tips of his ears.

“Shut up,” He mumbled, embarrassed. He curled his fingers around Donghyuck’s, avoiding eye contact as he looked at Donghyuck’s hands – long, elegant fingers and perfect, clean fingernails. His skin was soft against Mark’s own.

They were quiet for a moment, but Mark could feel Donghyuck looking at him, could see him searching his face out the corner of his eye. He looked pensive, his brows drawn down into a small thoughtful frown.

“Hyung,” Donghyuck started, sounding both a little unsure and a little curious. “No pressure but I have a question.”

Mark’s eyes flickered down to meet Donghyuck’s.

“Okay,” He said, apprehensive. “Shoot.”

Donghyuck took a deep breath, like he was preparing himself for something important – a big speech, a leap of faith, asking your mother’s permission for something. His eyes flickered away from Mark’s for a second and then he looked back up. He looked kind of tense.

“Do you like me or something?”

Mark spluttered, tugged his hand out of Donghyuck’s immediately. His face was on fire.

“Shut up!” He yelled, voice going high-pitched with embarrassment at the end.

“Oh my God!” Donghyuck yelled back, sounding elated and surprised and shocked all at once. “You do! You do!”

“I said shut up!” Mark pushed at Donghyuck who started laughing, his voice laced with disbelief. He looked… radiant, as usual, and Mark found himself watching, heart thundering in his chest, as Donghyuck laughed and laughed and laughed. His eyes were glimmering, and his mouth made a perfect heart shape.

He swallowed hard. 

“I can’t believe it,” Donghyuck was saying. “ _The_ Mark Lee likes _me_!”

“Would you be quiet,” Mark hissed, face burning. Donghyuck laughed again, reached out and pinched Mark’s cheeks between his fingers.

“You were so obvious,” He said, grinning wide and vibrant.

“I haven’t even said that I like you,” Mark grumbled, batting Donghyuck’s hands away from his face. “You’re just assuming.”

Donghyuck cackled, dancing away from Mark’s hands. 

“Well,” He said. “Do you?”

Mark’s cheeks prickled with heat. “No,” He said, stubborn. “I don’t.”

Donghyuck laughed. He looked so bright and pretty – his cheeks were rosy from laughter and his eyes shone with amusement.

“You suck at lying,” He said, and moved forward to take Mark’s face in his hands again. He pulled Mark down, softly, gently, and stopped with their faces barely centimetres apart. Mark felt as though he must’ve been going cross-eyed as he stared down at Donghyuck. His heart was beating so fast and so loud that he was sure Donghyuck must be able to hear it.

“If you really don’t like me you can tell me not to,” Donghyuck said, voice soft and kind, and then he leant up, thumbs pressing ever so slightly into Mark’s cheekbones, and kissed him, just shy of his mouth. Mark’s skin tingled where Donghyuck’s lips had pressed, little pinpricks of hot and cold that sent a shiver down his spine. 

Mark breathed out hard through his nose, eyes fluttering shut as he curled his fingers into the soft, worn fabric of Donghyuck’s shirt. He tugged, a little insistently, until Donghyuck stepped in closer, between Mark’s knees so he could crowd in close. 

“Donghyuck,” Mark whispered, almost a whine. His voice was breathy and unsure. Donghyuck laughed, his breath skating over Mark’s lips.

“Jeez,” He said. “And you said you didn’t like me.”

“Shut up,” Mark said, and Donghyuck laughed again, before pressing another sweet kiss against the corner of Mark’s mouth. His hands swept down over Mark’s cheeks to rest against his neck, fingers tangling in the hair at his nape. For a moment, they were still, breathing in tandem, little nervous breaths, and then finally, _finally_ , Donghyuck pressed their mouths together.

Mark’s blood fizzed in his veins, and his brain went blank. It wasn’t fireworks like in the movies, but it was something damn close – a vibrant, elated feeling that made his skin tingle from head to toe. It was like taking the first sip of a cold, fizzy lemonade – cool and vivid and wonderful.

They kissed, slow and sticky like golden syrup, over and over until Mark felt so filled with joy that it all burst out of him at once in a peal of nervous, breathy giggles. He pressed his forehead against Donghyuck’s shoulder, curled down into a comma as he laughed, fingers clutching at Donghyuck’s waist.

“You okay there?” Donghyuck said, teasing. He brushed his fingers through Mark’s hair gently, and leaned in to press his cheek against the crown of Mark’s head.

“Yeah,” Mark said, breathless. “Just… Just happy I guess.”

Mark felt Donghyuck’s laughter through his body, little ticklish vibrations rumbling against his skin like a cat’s purr.

“That’s so sappy.”

“Yeah,” Mark said. “I know.” He pushed his nose against Donghyuck’s skin and breathed him in. He smelt like home – cosy and warm and vaguely floral.

They stayed like that, Mark curled down into the crook of Donghyuck’s neck, fingers twisted into the fabric of his shirt as he processed what had happened. His heart was still beating so fast, unrelenting against his ribcage.

It was only when they heard the jingle of keys in the door that they separated, so fast that Donghyuck almost tumbled backwards over his own feet. They exchanged a little, startled look and it was all so… So _surreal_ that Mark couldn’t help but laugh, little hiccups of laughter bubbling out of him. When Doyoung and Taeyong filed in moments later it was to Mark and Donghyuck laughing at each other, loud and vibrant and so, so typical of them that the bright flush of their skin and the ripe pink of their mouths was easy to overlook.

*

They didn’t talk about it afterwards.

It wasn’t as though Mark didn’t want to – he really, _really_ did – but there was no time or privacy when they were constantly being shuffled back and forth between 127 and Dream. It was an almost never-ending cycle of events, practices, moving from one dorm to the other – it was exhausting, both physically and mentally, and all Mark wanted to do was nap. He had no spare energy for talking about _emotions_.

Somehow, though, it was okay. There was no tension between him and Donghyuck, just this odd feeling of being in on an important secret, like having an in-joke just the two of them knew. 

Sometimes he’d catch Donghyuck’s eye and they’d both share a little, shy smile and Mark would know it was fine, that it was all okay. They’d been friends for so long, been through so much, that catching feelings couldn’t do anything to them.

It was only after a solid week of events that they finally managed to find the time to talk. They’d finished up early at a university festival and, while the others had gone off to have a meal, he and Donghyuck had insisted on going home early to sleep. 

Now, they were curled into each other in the back of the car as their manager drove them back to the 127 dorm. Outside, the sun was setting rapidly, the sky becoming an inky black as it faded, down through indigo to purple, to ripe pinks and oranges on the horizon. The car engine rumbled underneath and the radio was on low, humming softly like a lullaby and soothing them to sleep. 

Mark was barely awake, eyes heavy as he watched the scenery pass outside. Shapes and lights passed by too fast to define, turning the city kaleidoscopic. Donghyuck had their pinkies linked, head nestled in the crook of Mark’s neck as he dozed. He was soft and warm, and his hair tickled slightly at Mark’s jaw. Mark couldn’t help the surge of fondness that spread through him, tingling under his skin like electricity. 

When they finally reached the dorms Donghyuck shook awake with a huge yawn, and he held Mark’s hand all the way up to the apartment, despite the curious glances their manager was sending them. He was sleep rumpled and bleary-eyed and all Mark wanted to do was coddle him, wrap him up in a warm blanket and make him tea and feed him sweets.

As soon as their manager left them, Mark swooped in to kiss Donghyuck on the cheek, a barely there butterfly kiss. Donghyuck blinked up at him, surprised, and laughed, voice hoarse and low from sleep.

“Been waiting to do that for a while?” He said, teasing. He laughed again when Mark blushed, a dusky pink warming his face. He pinched one of Mark’s cheeks. “Cute.”

“Stop,” Mark whined, face burning. He covered his face with the hand Donghyuck wasn’t holding, but he let Donghyuck pull it away without any resistance. They stood facing each other, hands linked in front of them, right there in the entryway with their shoes still on. 

Donghyuck was smiling at him, eyes so fond and bright that Mark felt a little sick with all the emotion surging through him. It was making him feel dizzy, all this affection fizzing through his veins and making his heart beat so fast in his chest. He felt like a bottle of soda, shaken up and ready to burst.

He leant forward, pressed his mouth to Donghyuck’s and sighed, soft and happy, as Donghyuck kissed him back easily. He squeezed their hands together and Donghyuck intertwined their fingers. They stood there and kissed, sweet and warm, still sleepy and bleary from napping in the car, until they both pulled away to breathe. Donghyuck looked beautiful, mouth red and shiny like an apple, his cheeks flushed a drowsy pink. 

“I really, really like you,” Mark said, breathing it out all at once. Donghyuck's face flushed darker, all the way over his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose. Mark was thrilled at his reaction, excited to throw Donghyuck off-kilter for once.

“Me too,” Donghyuck said, and then looked down, embarrassed. Mark laughed, elated and breathless and so full of love for this beautiful, ridiculous boy – his best friend. He cupped Donghyuck’s face in his hands, and tilted him up for a kiss. 

“I’m really happy,” He said, voice barely more than a whisper as he held Donghyuck’s face in his hands. They were so close, maybe a centimetre apart. Donghyuck grinned at him, eyes curling up as he smiled.

“Hyung, you’re so cheesy,” He said, but he kissed Mark again, on both cheeks and then on the tip of his nose. He leaned in again, but was instead wracked by a huge yawn. He smiled up at Mark, sheepish. “Let’s go to bed?”

Mark laughed, gently, and they shucked off their shoes and coats, leaving them in a messy pile by the door. Taeyong would undoubtedly scold them later, but for now they didn’t care, too caught up in each other and too sleepy to be bothered.

They weren’t roommates but Donghyuck pulled Mark through to his room anyway and they curled up together in his bed, legs tangling as they huddled under Donghyuck’s thick duvet. They curled in towards each other, hands held between them.

“I really do like you,” Mark said, voice earnest and soft in the air between them. “I, well, I want us to be dating or something.”

“Yeah,” Donghyuck said. He was running his thumb over Mark’s knuckles absent-mindedly. “D’you wanna be my boyfriend?”

Warmth spread through Mark’s body, from the top of his head down to the very tips of his toes.

“Yeah,” He said. “That’d be pretty cool.”

Donghyuck huffed a laugh. “Would it now?” He said. “Dating me would just be pretty cool, huh?”

“Okay, maybe more than pretty cool, but your ego is already big enough.”

Donghyuck narrowed his eyes at him, reached out to pinch at his belly, and then grinned, gleeful, as Mark yelped and flinched away. He flung his leg over Mark’s hip, straddling him, and began tickling him ruthlessly, little evil fingers getting at all of his sensitive spots. Mark shrieked, bucking like a wild horse as he tried to dislodge Donghyuck, but it did nothing but make Donghyuck laugh harder.

“Okay, okay!” Mark wheezed, breathless, as he finally got a hold of Donghyuck’s hands. “It’d be fantastic, the best thing to ever happen to me.”

“That’s more like it,” Donghyuck said, smug. He ducked down, pressed a tiny, brief peck to Mark’s mouth and then rolled off him, leg still over his hip as he snuggled in tight against his side. 

He had his head in the crook of Mark’s neck and Mark could feel his breath on his collarbone. It felt intimate, Donghyuck so close he must’ve been able to feel Mark’s pulse as it pounded under his skin. It was almost startling to be so close to him.

Mark squeezed his eyes shut tight, little fireworks exploding behind his eyelids. It felt like a dream, this boy he’d been enamoured with for a long time, maybe longer than Mark had ever realised before, tucked into his side. Mark breathed out, slow and deep, and rolled onto his side, so he could curl an arm around Donghyuck’s waist, his fingers settling in the small of his back.

His eyes fluttered open, only to see Donghyuck staring back at him, eyes heavily lidded with sleep, but so, so fond.

“Hi,” He said, so quiet that Mark had to wiggle even closer to hear him, so close they were practically nose to nose. Donghyuck laughed, and rubbed their noses together in an eskimo kiss. Mark’s heart swelled. He felt full to bursting with affection.

“Hi,” He said back, voice thick with emotion. “You’re so cute.”

“Wow,” Donghyuck said. “That’s pretty gay.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Mark said, and then felt a little note of uncertainty shoot through him and land heavy in his gut. “Are you okay with that?”

Donghyuck frowned, eyes searching his face. “Are you being serious?”

Mark shut his eyes again, pressed his face into Donghyuck’s hair and breathed in the scent of his shampoo. “Yeah, kinda.”

“I was only joking,” Donghyuck said. He pressed forward to place a tiny kiss against Mark’s jaw. “Are you worried I’m only experimenting or something?”

“Maybe,” Mark said, and hated how unsure his voice sounded.

“Well I’m not,” Donghyuck said, firm. He pulled back and took Mark’s face in his hands, ran his thumbs over his cheekbones. “Hey,” He said. “Look at me.”

Mark bit his lip hard, but he looked back at Donghyuck. He looked stubborn, a little upset, but Mark couldn’t tell if that was on his behalf or Donghyuck’s own. Was he upset Mark had doubted him, even a little bit?

“I’m not playing around with you,” He said. “I don’t know if I like boys, but I like you and that’s what matters, right?”

“Yeah,” Mark said. His throat felt thick. “I like you too,” He said and pressed a hard kiss to Donghyuck’s surprised mouth. Donghyuck made a soft sound against his lips, but he kissed back, tangling his fingers in Mark’s hair. They kissed until the lump in Mark’s throat dissipated, until he felt a little more solid, less likely to shake himself apart with nerves.

“Sorry,” He said, after they were quiet for a moment, Donghyuck running his fingers soothingly through Mark’s hair. He was so soft and gentle, so good. 

“Don’t be stupid,” Donghyuck said, but he sounded fond. Maybe a little exasperated. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. I get it.”

“You do?”

“Duh,” Donghyuck said, rolling his eyes. “You don’t think I realise how bad an idea this could be? Even straight idols don’t go around talking about who they’re dating.”

“Oh, Jesus,” Mark groaned, lump immediately returning. “This is a terrible idea.”

“I know,” Donghyuck said. “But I wanna be with you anyway.”

“That’s so cliché.”

“Whatever, Romeo!” Donghyuck scowled. “You still wanna date me or what?”

“I do! I’m just, you know, worried.”

“Stop overthinking it,” Donghyuck said, pinching at Mark’s waist. “I like you, you like me. No one else has to know.”

“But—”

Donghyuck slapped a hand over Mark’s mouth – which, honestly, was the least appealing way of shutting Mark up. 

“Nope!” He said, and wrapped his arms tight around Mark’s waist. He shoved his face into Mark’s shoulder and, voice muffled, said, “I’m going to bed.”

“You suck,” Mark said, but he curled around Donghyuck like a koala and pressed a kiss to the crown of Donghyuck’s head. Mark could feel Donghyuck’s smile against his neck.

“Tomorrow,” Donghyuck said. “We can talk about it tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay,” Mark said, and shut his eyes tight. He still felt nervous, could feel it underneath his skin like an itch – the knowledge that this could go so wrong – but the room was quiet and cosy, and Donghyuck was warm against his side. It was easy, in that quiet, slow moment, to forget about everything else and let himself believe, even just for a moment, that it would all be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm also on [twitter](https://twitter.com/fruitglass) if you'd like to say hello!


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